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Friday, August 17, 2007

303 OPENS SYDNEY AGENCY

Perth based 303 is setting up shop in Sydney, and the agency there will be operational from this weekend.The Sydney agency has been formed by acquiring FNL Communications and McNabb Advertising.MD Andrew Sargent and the six employees of FNL Communications are currently moving out of FNL’s Yurong Street premises into the St Leonards offices of McNabb Advertising, which employs around 15 people, and the combined business will be re-branded 303.As Foster Nunn Loveder, FNL was one of the highest profile and creatively-awarded agencies in Australia in the 90s. Founding partners Graham Nunn and Dave Loveder sold FNL to Andrew Sargent and Dave Rollins last year but the agency was hit hard by the loss of long-term client Sony back in January. Perhaps their best known client currently is Harley Davidson.Though not as well known, McNabb has a very profitable client list that includes Fujitsu, Centrum, Dencorub, Selsun, Pearl Drops, Nair and Dilmah Tea.There is speculation that 303 partner and managing director Nick Cleaver, who was CEO of DDB Australia until January 2006 and now in Perth, may relocate to Sydney eventually, but for now the business will probably be run by Sargent and Paul McNabb.Cleaver was in Sydney today (Thursday) when CB called the Perth agency.